Program Overview

Essential Skills for Your Digital World is a new program for adults offered by UBC Okanagan in partnership with the Okanagan Regional Library. This program introduces participants to core computational thinking concepts.

Over the course of the six, two-and-a-half hour modules, participants will have opportunities to:

• Increase their understanding of the digital world
• Design and build a simple web page with HTML
• Define and write a basic algorithm
• Connect to the Internet of Things
• Manage data in a spreadsheet through simple formulas and graphs
• Understand the rationale and learn some techniques for keeping information private and secure

Schedule and Location

Dates: This program consists of six modules, with a different topic per class time. Note that there is a two week break between Module 3 and 4.  The dates and times of each class and the break are as follows:

• Module 1 (Exploration): January 20, 2018, 1:00 – 3:30 PM
• Module 2 (HTML): January 27, 2018 1:00, – 3:30 PM
• Module 3 (Algorithms): February 3, 2018, 1:00 – 3:30 PM
• February 10, 2018: BREAK, no class.
• Module 4 (Internet of Things): February 17, 2018, 1:00 – 3:30 PM
• Module 5 (Spreadsheets): February 24, 2018 1:00, – 3:30 PM
• Module 6 (Privacy & Security: March 3, 2018, 1:00 – 3:30 PM

Please note there is no class scheduled for Saturday February 10

Time: From 1 – 3:30pm

Place: All classes take place at the downtown Okanagan Regional Library (1380 Ellis Street, Kelowna), 2nd floor classroom.

Spring Offering: This program will also be offered again in the Spring, 2018. Please let us know if you are interested in receiving updates about this offering by completing this form.

Intended Audience

If you have a general interest in what skills are required in a digital world, are a parent of a child that is experiencing the new BC Applied Design, Skills and Technologies Curriculum and/or are considering career advancement with additional digital skills, this program may be for you.

This program will build awareness of some core computational thinking concepts and highlight where you can pursue more advanced educational opportunities (at Okanagan College for example) to strengthen your knowledge and skills.

Requirements

This program welcomes a wide variety of learners. Some familiarity with computer programs for creating documents (word processors) and navigating the Internet (web browsers) can be beneficial but not required.

A library card will be needed to complete the program. If you do not currently have a Library card, please ensure that you bring a piece of ID* with you for the first class, where librarians will be present to assist you with obtaining one.

Participants who have the card already are required to bring it with them for the first class.

*If you don’t have a current piece of ID please call the library for options.

Registration and Questions

Registration

Participants can register online through this website or via phone by calling the Okanagan Regional Library (downtown branch) at 250-762-2800.

Remember, spaces are limited for this FREE program so register today!

Questions?

Please click here to send us your questions or join our waiting list for the program.

Meet Our Team

Program Instructor

Deb Carter is a PhD candidate in the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies (IGS) program at UBC Okanagan, her design and development research explores the impact of a research-informed professional learning event with educators, professionals and community members as they determine innovative solutions to localized ‘wicked’ problems.

Program Authors

Abdallah Mohamed is a software engineer who specializes in decision support systems for component-based software development.
To support informed decision making, his research involves studying and developing novel methods that integrate concepts and techniques such as optimization and expert systems.

Jocelyn Smith is a User Experience Consultant working with companies in Kelowna and further a field to improve their customer experience by better understanding their customers and how their customers experience their products and services. Jocelyn collaborates with UXperts.co to provide a full range of user experience services encompassing research and design of both the physical and the virtual.

Miles Thorogood is a creative technologist who specializes in generative systems for developing computational assistive technologies in creative industries. His research includes modelling human creative processes in visual and audio work for decision support systems, and designing autonomous agents for interactive environments.

Patricia Lasserre is a computer scientist mainly involved with the scholarship of teaching, particularly in active learning techniques for computer science, developing tools for learning, computational thinking and design thinking.